386

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

August 20, 1915.

in-bye, it was the deputy’s duty to see that a “ cow ” was
there and the manager’s duty to see that sufficient “ cows ”
were sent in. The jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental
death,” and expressed no opinion on the disputed point.

Mr. W. Braidford, junr., who, for a considerable period,
has been manager of the Lintz and South Garesfield
collieries of the South Garesfield Colliery Company, attained
the 25th anniversary of his wedding day last week, and,
along with his life partner, was warmly congratulated by
his friends. The officials at the collieries presented Mr. and
Mrs. Braidford with a handsome silver rose bowl and two
silver vases. Mr. B. Thornborough, engineer to the
collieries, mentioned, in making the presentation, that Mr.
and Mrs. Braidford’s three sons were all serving in the
new Army.

The Eppleton Colliery officials held recently a supper to
celebrate the breaking of the record for coal-drawing from
the Caroline pit, under the management of Mr. R. Stokoe.

For having allowed a man to hew out a mis-fired shot and,
further, for having neglected to fence off the place, Robert
Todd, deputy overman at the Maud pit, Backworth, was
fined £4 at Whitley Bay on Wednesday. It was stated that,
as a result of defendant’s negligence, the shot was exploded
by a man with his pick, and the man’s eyes and face were
injured, and his hearing affected.

The restriction of imports of mining timber in which the
war has resulted has directed more particular attention to
our native resources. Newcastle quaysiders who, formerly,
regarded the arrival of supplies of pit wood as so automatic
as to be uninteresting, are now found indulging in pleased
comment on the fact that considerable consignments of
mining timber are arriving in the Tyne from Scotland.
Amongst the “ transvaluation of values ” in which this war
will probably result, we may expect to see included the
estimate which the nation has hitherto placed upon the
importance of making the British timber supply approximate
more nearly to the national requirements.

Cumberland.

Coal and Toluol: Figures for the Workers.

Last week Mr. W. Brace, M.P., Under-Secretary for
Home Affairs, gave ia number of addresses to the coal miners,
iron and steel workers, and coke workers in West Cumber-
land. On Wednesday afternoon Mr. Brace spoke to the
miners and other workers employed at the Lowca Colliery
and coke ovens. Mr. W. J. D. Burnyeat, who presided,
stated that of the total output at that colliery, 50 per cent,
was round coal, and 50 per cent, small, the latter going to
the coke ovens. They could easily deal with 200 tons more
daily since the starting of the new battery of ovens. Mr.
Burnyeat also spoke at a meeting at Whitehaven on the
following day, when he gave some further estimates. He
said every ton of coal treated in the coke ovens gave them
half a gallon of toluol. Therefore, every tub of coal that
came up the pit—taking it at 10 cwt., and containing 50
per cent, of small coal—was capable of producing something
rather more than 1J lb of toluol, or 3 lb. of trotyl. A pound
of the latter was equal to filling three 18 lb. shells. One
tub of coal coming up the pit was therefore equal to filling
three 181b. shells, or nine 61b. shells. He took it their
average at the Whitehaven collieries was superior to that
at the Moresby and Lowca collieries, but at the latter he
knew that the figures showed that the men were good for
2J tons per shift, or five tubs, so that every man per shift
was good for 15 181b., or 30 91b. shells; and although he
did not, perhaps, know it, every man who did not go
to work on the Monday morning deprived our brave troops
at the front to that extent. He spent a month in Germany
some years ago inspecting different coking plants, and he
was enabled to see practically every colliery in Westphalia,
and to see the state of perfection to which Germany had
advanced in all matters dealing with coal and the by-
products of coal. In October 1913 the benzol makers of
the world met in London, and there were only three makers
of any importance. Germany was at the top of all nations;
England second; and America a long way third. At that
date, October 1913, Germany was producing benzol to the
extent of 40 million gallons per annum, and England three
million gallons. If they would divide the total benzol
production by four, they would get the proportion of toluol
now being produced in the two countries, and find that in
1913 Germany was producing not less than 10
million gallons of toluol, equal to some 80 million
pounds of it, or 160 million pounds of trotyl per
annum, and he had good reason to know she had increased
that very much since, as she was in possession of the Belgian
and Northern French coal fields. Since that date he thought
he was right in saying we had rather more than doubled
our production of benzol in this country, but if a lesson
were needed, had not they particulars there to show that if
we were to wage this war to a successful conclusion there
was only one thing for it, that every man, woman and
child in this country must exercise their efforts to the utmost.

Presiding over a meeting of the Moss Bay and
Derwent workmen, at Workington, addressed by Mr. Brace,
M.P., Sir John Randles, M.P., said he had been through
’the Moss Bay and Derwent works and amongst the men
that day, and he had had a talk with the manager, who
told him that he had no fault to find with the way in which
they were all working; every man was doing his best.
From a tub of coal in the process of coking they were able
to extract sufficient toluol to fill three 18 lb. shells with
high explosive, so that an extra tub of coal sent up by a
coal miner meant three more shells for the Army, but if a
coal miner sent up a tub less than he was able to send up,
it meant that the gallant lads at the front would, for that
very reason, have three fewer 181b. shells to play into the
Germans. At a largely attended meeting at Ellenborough,
near Maryport, Mr. Brace urged all the miners to put every
ounce of energy into their work and turn out as much coal
as they could, because Cumberland coal had a very high
percentage of those ingredients which were used for the
manufacture of high explosives. He urged the men to be
regular in their attendance at work in order that production
might be kept as high as possible. Speaking at a meeting
of miners at Whitehaven, on Thursday, Mr. Brace said
not less than 830 men from the collieries of Whitehaven had
joined the Colours. He contended that if they were going to
be loyal to their own flesh and blood they must give up the
idea that they could go on as in time of peace. Excluding
sickness and accident, the loss of time on Mondays and
Tuesdays at William Pit, Whitehaven is 22'29 per cent.;
at Wellington it is 27-26 per cent.; and at Ladysmith pit
it is '32 per cent. In these days of special crisis they could
not afford to have this loss of time.

At a meeting of the West Cumberland Munitions Com-
mittee, held in the Council Chamber, Workington, on

Tuesday afternoon, under the chairmanship of Sir J. S.
Randles, M.P., a Board of Management of five was
appointed, also a Labour Representation Committee of seven
who will be in communication with the Labour Advisory
Committee, of which Mr. Arthur Henderson, M.P., is chair-
man. The Committee has recommended its area as a
suitable one for a shell factory.

Yorkshire.

Accidents and Neglect: Union and Coroner—Absenteeism
at Denaby—A Compensation Question at Bentley—The
Rise in Working Costs.

It was scarcely to be expected that the Yorkshire Miners’
Association would allow to pass unchallenged the statement
of the Doncaster District Coroner that 50 per cent, of the
accidents in the pit are the result of the neglect and miscon-
duct of the men working there. The association apparently
desire a withdrawal of the remarks, and as this is not forth-
coming, the matter is to be brought to the notice of the
Home Office and of the West Riding County Council, to
which authorities the coroner is responsible. There may be
exaggeration in the statement. If there is, it is felt that
equally is the statement of the president of the Yorkshire
Miners’ Association exaggerated when he says that pit
accidents are caused in many cases by neglect on the part of
the management in not carrying out the Mines Act in all its
bearings.

The statement of Mr. H. W. .Smith, the manager of the
Denaby Colliery, that the Denaby and Cadeby collieries are
among the pits at which the attendance of miners is the
worst in Yorkshire, has not given'particular pleasure to the
people of those districts, although presumably the statement
is quite true. Denaby is therefore advancing some argu-
ments in proof of its loyalty. It is pointed out that the sum
of £5,000 has been raised by the colliery company, the
miners, and the tradespeople for the purposes of local war
relief and the maintenance of close upon a dozen Belgian
families. Denaby and Conisboro between them have
supplied a battalion of recruits to the Army. The colliery
company provide rent, fuel and light for some 400
dependants of the men who have enlisted, also for the
Belgian families, and give £20 per week to the war fund.
Five thousand garments have been made by the ladies of
Denaby, whose sewing party is financed by Mr. W. H.
Chambers, managing director of the company, whilst the
chairman of the latter, Capt. Maurice Pope, is fighting at
the front.

It is expected that the new trackless trams at Mexborough
will commence running almost immediately, and that they
will prove very useful to a large population around this
colliery centre is a foregone conclusion. The alteration to
the Midland Railway bridge at Manvers Main is all but
completed, and the Board of Trade inspection will follow
in due course.

It was stated, during the hearing of a miner’s claim at
the last sitting of the Doncaster County Court, that matters
at Bentley Colliery got to such a serious crisis over this
question of compensation that there was nearly a stoppage
at the pit. The question the judge was asked to decide was
how much compensation should be paid to a miner partially
disabled by nystagmus. The applicant was a Bentley
colliery named Hobson, wflio claimed arrears of compensation
from Messrs. Barber Walker and Company. In January
last he was suffering from nystagmus, at which time his
average wages were £2 4s. 9d. He was paid compensation
until April, when he enlisted, but his eye trouble returned
and he was discharged from the Army. He went back to
the pit, at first on full compensation, and then found light
work on the surface. The colliery company, it was con-
tended, had taken the maximum amount of the present
earnings instead of the average amount before disablement,
and had paid £4 8s. into court, but, said the applicant’s
advocate, he was entitled to .£18 17s. 3d. Applicant stated
there was a dispute at the pit over compensation, and
an interview with the management, but he was not a party
to any agreement to accept Ils. per week compensation.
Evidence was given by Mr. Ernest Smith, the president of
the Yorkshire Miners’ Association, who said the agreement
arrived at over the question of compensation at Bentley was
expressly worded “ without prejudice to the rights of any
man at the pit.” It was an emergency measure, taken
because there was an imminent danger of a stoppage of the
pit. Judge Allen remarked that in these cases both sides
sought to trap him into a ruling that the compensation
should be half the difference between the present and the
previous wages. This remark was resented by counsel.
His Honour reserved judgment.

Owing to a breakdown of the principal winding engine
the whole of the Houghton Main Colliery is idle. The
stoppage, it is said, is likely to continue for several days.

At the Wakefield Court House on Monday, Samuel Cater,
miner, John Cleobury, miner, John Martin Poston, ripper,
and Thomas Turley, miner, of Normanton, were summoned
by their employers, Pope and Pearson Limited, of Altofts
Colliery, for absenting themselves from work without notice.
Damages at the rate of 5s. a day had been claimed in
respect of two days from Cleobury and Turley, three days
from Cater, and four days from Poston. Cleobury and
Turley were each ordered to pay 20s., Cater 25s., and Poston
30s.

The annual meeting of Henry Briggs, Son and Company,
Normanton, was held on Thursday of last week, at Leeds.
Mr. W. G. Jackson, chairman and managing director, said
that at the outbreak of the war there was a great fall in
trade and prices, and the subsequent recovery went almost
to the other extreme. In the meantime, how’ever, the
output of the company had fallen, owing to a large number
of men having joined the Colours. On the other hand, the
importance of maintaining the output of the pits was after-
wards accentuated, this being as much in the interests of
the company as of the country. One obvious means of
effecting this was to try and decrease the amount of prevent-
able absenteeism on the part of the men. Efforts in that
direction had been responded to very well, absenteeism
underground having been reduced from 15’89 per cent, to
11’29. At the present moment, indeed, the figure stood at
9’75, which was exceedingly good. Nevertheless, there was
room for improvement, and if the same level could be reached
by the surfacemen they would feel very satisfied. The
introduction by the Government of licences for the export
trade had caused a good deal of trouble, loaded trucks having
been detained at Goole pending the issue of the export
certificate, with the result that the trucks could not be
returned at once, and the pits had had to stand for want

of something to put the coal into. Of late, however, there
had been an improvement in this matter. The cost of pro-
duction had gone up, due partly to the reduced output
already mentioned, and partly to increased wages, and the
15-J per cent, war bonus—a very big thing. An Act of
Parliament had just been passed limiting the price of coal
to a 4s. increase upon last year’s price. This seemed to
be reasonable, and the directors were quite satisfied with it,
if it could be maintained.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

The Reporting of Gas: Important Prosecution at Leigh.

Lord Ellesmere has just been appointed a deputy
lieutenant for the county of Lancaster.

Sir Lees Knowles, Bart., of Pendlebury, Turton Towers,
and 4, Park-street, London, W., was married at St.
Margaret’s Church, Westminster, on Thursday of last week
to Lady Nina Geraldine Ogilvie-Grant, youngest daughter
of the 10th Earl of Seafield and of the Dowager Countess of
Seafield. Sir Lees and Lady Knowles left on Saturday to
spend their honeymoon in Ireland, and were travelling by
the Irish mail train which was involved in the railway
disaster near Rugby. Fortunately neither was injured.

The Hindley District Council have given consent to the
Lancashire Electric Power Company to supply electricity
to the Swan Lane Colliery Company Limited, Messrs.
Crompton and Shawcross Limited, and the Hindley Field
Coal Company Limited.

An important prosecution took place at Leigh County
Police Court last week, when John Wm. Kenyon, of King
William-street, Tyldesley, fireman and undermanager
employed by the Astley and Tyldesley Collieries Limited,
was summoned, at the instance of Mr. J. Walshaw, the
general manager, under Section 64 of the Coal Mines Act,
1911, for failing to give a good and accurate report on the
inspection of the mine. Mr. A. H. Hayward conducted
the prosecution, and stated that Kenyon was entrusted with
the government and care of the Haigh Yard mine, and it
was his duty to make an inspection. Mr. Walshaw made
an inspection a few days before July 23, and warned Kenyon
that it was advisable to watch a certain place. On July 23,
at about 11 a.m., the assistant manager went into the mine
and found inflammable gas. He drew Kenyon’s attention
to the matter, and, assisted in putting up brattice cloth for
the purpose of driving out the gas. When Kenyon reported,
from 11 o’clock to 2 o’clock, he said, “ Place free from
gas.” Mr. Walshaw at once queried the report, and Kenyon
was now charged with failing to report accurately to the
management by means of his book, which was also put up
for the workmen to inspect. Shot firing was constantly
being carried on in the portion of the mine in question, and
if one of the shots had been blown out or there had been
an overcharged cartridge there might have been serious
danger to all the workmen about. Evidence was heard
bearing out the opening statement, and Mr. T. R. Dootson,
for defendant, contended that under Section 64, which dealt
with the report put in at 5.50 p.m., there had been no
offence.—The Bench amended the summons to cover sections
64 and 65.—Defendant stated in the box that he made an
inspection two hours before the men commenced work, and
sene the report to the manager hours after the men
had started. The rule was to make an inspection during
the shift. There was no gas between 8 and 9 o’clock, at
11 o’clock there was a break giving off gas, but on a further
inspection at 1.30 the place was free. In cross-examination,
he stated that he never reported having found gas. Asked
if he did not know that the instructions from Mr. Walshaw
were to report the presence of any gas, defendant replied
that he reported according to the Act.—The Magistrate’s
Clerk : Having heard what has taken place in Court, do
you not think it is advisable if you found any gas at any
time during the shift to make a record?—Yes, I should
think so.—It was stated that defendant had since received
notice to leave the firm’s employ, and a magistrate remarked
that it seemed rather hard to ask the Bench to punish him if
he had been discharged.—Mr. Hayward, however, pointed
out chat from the owners’ point of view this was an
exceedingly serious matter.—Mr. Walshaw said his verbal
instructions were that if gas was found or removed it must
be recorded. There would have been no prosecution if
defendant had made it known to the management that there
was gas, and had recorded it properly.—On the suggestion
of the Bench, Mr. Walshaw agreed to the withdrawal of
the case on defendant paying costs, but Mr. Dootson
suggested that a nominal penalty should be imposed so that
he could take the case to a higher court if necessary. The
offence, if any, was a technical one, and of importance.—In
view of Mr. Dootson’s statement, Mr. Hayward then asked
the magistrates to inflict a penalty commensurate with the
seriousness of the offence so that the high court would
understand this was not a trivial matter.—The Bench said
they took the view that a proper construction of Section 64
was that it was the duty of the fireman to record the
presence of gas at any particular visit he might make during
the shift, and they had therefore decided to fine defendant
20s. and costs, including advocate’s fee. They agreed, if
application were made, to state a case.

Resolutions have been passed at meetings of miners
employed at Messrs. Andrew Knowles and Sons’ Clifton
and Kersley Coal Companies, and Lord Ellesmere’s collieries
in the Manchester district in favour of providing convoys
of ambulances for Red Cross work. These gifts will not only
provide the cars themselves, but a liberal sum for running
expenses.

North Wales.

An accident occurred at Bersham Colliery this week, when
a man, named Edward Roberts, a rope splicer, was badly
injured. Roberts was the last man to descend the pit for
the day’s work, and when the cages were nearing the top
and bottom of the shaft respectively, something went wrong
with the winding, with the result that the ascending cage
struck the headgear, damage being averted by the safety
device, wdiilst the descending cage struck the bottom of the
shaft with some violence. Some delay occurred to the
winding while the necessary repairs took place, and the
injured man was removed to the Wrexham hospital, where
he is now recovering slowly from the accident.

Messrs. George Watkinson and Sons, colliery proprietors,
Buckley, last week summoned a number of colliers for
leaving their work without having given notice. The
Bench considered that the case was a serious one, especially
in the present circumstances, and ordered each of the five
defendants to pay £1 each as damages, and the costs of the
case in addition.